And then there were three
by SweetLiars
Summary: Yuki and Shigure find two boys caught in a vicious storm-one on a bench, the other right by the side of the house! Who are they? And why do they look so much like Kyo? - New and Improved version has finally arrived! Please read and review, cause I'm a beggar! xXx Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its characters. (Warning-Triplets!)
1. Familiar Faces

**Aurora here! As I said, here's the new version of And then there were three! This has been a plan of mine for a long time and I'm glad I can FINALLY get this started! I've just been so inspired for this story. It could have been so much better I feel.**

**I really hope fans of this story, old and new, read, enjoy, and review!**

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><p><span><strong>Maybe three isn't a Crowd<strong>

**Chapter 1**

**Familiar Faces**

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><p>Thunder roared, followed by lightning, which lit up the darkening sky. It made Tohru jump back a bit from the window. Powerful thuds of rain hit the glass, giving off an aggressive and lonely melody. She wasn't worried about the plans she had that day. Not even about the fact that she hadn't acted out those plans. No, what she was worried about, was the miserable cat downstairs and the dinner that wasn't cooking.<p>

"Miss Honda?" a gentle voice questioned from a bit away. Tohru's eyes flicked down the dimly lit hallway and stayed locked on violet orbs, glowing with curiosity.

"Oh, Yuki-kun," Tohru exclaimed with a small smile, "good afternoon! How was your meeting?"

Yuki gave a small smile of his own, even though he knew by that far-off look in the brunette's eyes that she was upset about something. "Fine, thank you. Is there something troubling you?"

Tohru smiled nervously and pushed her index fingers against one another. She didn't want to bother Yuki with her worries, but a part of it was about his well-being. So she sucked it up and said, "Well, it's raining, so I delayed my grocery shopping. I thought all this down pour would have stopped by now..."

"It's alright, Miss Honda," Yuki said, stepping toward her as lightening shown through the sky. The flash caused both the teens to glance out the window. "I'll walk you tomorrow."

"Thank you. I just hope we have enough rice for tonight." Tohru fiddled her fingers back and forth a bit frantically. Yuki smiled, a glint of humor in his eyes. He hadn't expected her to get so worried over something so small. Then again, maybe he did. She was such a worry wart.

Yuki opened his mouth to speak at the exact moment a loud crash sounded from the front room. Instead of returning to their conversation, they headed swiftly down stairs, finding Kyo bent across the kotatsu on his stomach. He looked as if all the life had jumped right out of him.

"Kyo-kun," Tohru gasped, waving her arms around in uncertainty as she sped toward him.

Kyo groaned, making no attempt at standing or even getting himself comfortable on the hard wood. Yuki stared blankly with his arms crossed in slight agitation at the cat's actions. If he were tired, he should have just gone upstairs and went to sleep all day instead of being stubborn and trying to go through with his normal routine. He even went so far as to go and lay on the roof, trying to prove the rat wrong, so he was probably sick now.

_An absolute idiot_, Yuki thought with a small shake of his head. Why couldn't Kyo listen? Even if the advice was coming in a slightly offensive way from his nemesis, shouldn't he be able to tell what's reasonable?

"I don't think we have anymore medicine," Shigure admitted with a sigh, leaning against the entrance to the kitchen. Tohru and Yuki hadn't even noticed him there.

The dog looked over at Yuki and said, "You probably shouldn't have instigated him, Yuki."

"How was I to know that he'd do such a foolish thing?" Yuki asked, agitated at his cousin's accusations. It wasn't his fault Kyo was such an idiot and he didn't appreciate being told it was.

Ignoring Yuki, Shigure shoved himself off the wall and walked toward Kyo, poking the boys shoulder.

"Don't touch me, yah... yah damn... mutt..." Kyo swatted lightly before his hand fell. The rain picked up, assaulting the windows and dampening the cat's mood a bit more. His bones ached like he was a hundred years old and his head was pounding, forcing the blissful sleep he wanted to elude him. He felt like dying would be a much better solution at the moment. Oh, how he loathed spring.

The three other occupants of the house stared at him a bit before Shigure insisted while staring at Tohru, "Yuki should go out to the store and get some medicine, since he's the reason he's sick."

"It's not my fault he decided to rest on the roof," Yuki huffed, not liking that his idiot cousin was talking about him like he wasn't there.

"But Yuki," Shigure said, "If you don't go, then poor sweet Tohru-kun will be forced to make the trip in your place!"

"Eh, it's fine! I can go," Tohru insisted, putting her hands up. That was all Yuki needed to agree.

After making sure Tohru wouldn't follow him, he dressed himself properly to face the harsh weather and, without further delay, left out the door, Tohru hollering "Be safe!" behind him.

O.O.O.O

When Yuki exited the pharmacy, a bag of medicines (and some rice) in hand, he noticed how dreary the street looked with no one on it. He must have taken a long time, because the sky was now such a dark blue it looked black. The only source of light coming from the shock of yellow streetlights here and there. Even though it was so dark, Yuki felt pretty safe. Who would be outside in the freezing rain?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard the screeching of shoes rubbing against pavement and wood slamming against wood. He turned sharply and squinted into the night at a bench with a groaning boy laying on it. From a distance, he looked like a grown man, but as Yuki cautiously got closer, he could see that it was a boy about his age. The boy looked to be taller than him with light orange hair and seemingly tanned skin.

"Excuse me?" Yuki questioned loudly in an attempt to be heard over the rain.

"Huh?" The boy asked lazily, looking up with tired teal eyes. Yuki could have sworn he'd seen this face before, but couldn't quite place a name to it.

"Are you alright?" The boy gently laid the side of his face in the bench and mumbled something Yuki couldn't understand. It sounded like a name. Thinking he was trying to say _his_ name, Yuki asked, "What's your name again?"

The boy attempted to talk. Yuki leaned in close. "T... Takashi..."

"Let me help you up," Yuki said, grabbing the boys arm and, with difficulty, lifting him up. After a bit of adjusting, Takashi had an arm around his shoulders, while Yuki held the umbrella he brought with him and the bag of medicine in one hand and Takashi's skateboard in the other.

"Is there someplace I could take you?" Yuki asked. He wasn't really sure why, but he felt he had history with this boy. The face and name 'Takashi' sounded so familiar that he almost felt as if he'd ask to go to-

"Shigure..."

O.O.O.O

Tohru sat nervously next to Kyo, trying to calmly await Yuki's return, but he was taking so long that she expected the worse.

"Tohru-chan, if you're that worried, why don't you try calling him?" Shigure suggested without a care in the world. Wherever the rat was, he knew he'd be alright.

Tohru didn't seem to be paying attention for a second, so Shigure was going to say it again, but suddenly she blurted out, "No, no, no, what am I thinking?! I'd just be a bother if he really is alright... but what if he isn't..."

Clenching the bottom of her red skirt, she bit at her lip, her other hand on the side of the table. Just as she was about to rush to the home phone to give him a call, the door banged open. It earned a squeak from her and Shigure rose, walking over to investigate.

"Yuki, you're back! You gave our dear Tohru-chan quite the... fright..." Shigure stared at the boy Yuki was now stationing between him and the wall. The violet-eyed teen kicked his shoes off as best as he could, dropped the umbrella and skateboard, handed Shigure the bag, and helped Takashi to sit against the wall.

"And who might you be?" Shigure questioned as Yuki sat down opposite Takashi, regaining his breath. That boy was a lot heavier than he had originally thought.

"Takashi," Yuki answered for him, almost back to normal. "He was on his way here... and he crashed into a bench."

"Did he now?" Shigure asked, staring at the boy. Very suddenly, it clicked in his mind who exactly the boy was. It wasn't all that hard to remember. He hit his fist into his palm, a dumb smile on his face. "Of course! Takashi-kun!"

Yuki stared as his older cousin put a hand on his chin. "What exactly are you doing here?"

He got no response. The boy couldn't quite get a hold of himself. First he was ripped away from the only place he had ever known, then he lost Ichiru in the midst of his fatigue.

_Ichiru, _Takashi thought with a groan, his hand traveling to his head. He had already lost one brother, he wouldn't lose another. With that in mind, he slowly began to rise to his feet.

"Uh, Takashi-kun? Should you be walking around in the state you're in?" Shigure questioned. Yuki rose to go and fetch Tohru. When he came back with the brunette, as if on cue, Takashi collapsed to his knees, hand on the door knob. A large bolt of lightning singed the leaves of a nearby tree, followed by menacing thunder.

"Oh no," Tohru squeaked, hurrying to the boys side. "Are you hurt? You must be! Shigure-san, if you're not too busy, could you get me a towel and one of your yukatas?"

"Of course." Shigure hurried off, leaving Yuki to help Tohru drag Takashi away from the door.

When he got into the kitchen, he headed to the sink and reached for the towel used to dry the dishes. Since the storm came so unexpectedly, everything they had out on the line to dry became soaked through-including all the towels in the house.

_This will do,_ Shigure told himself. He began to turn away, but stopped when he thought he saw something move outside the window. When he got a little closer, he could see a shock of red lit up by the light emitting from the window. It blew wildly in the wind, some strands snagging on the bark it was leaning against.

_Wait, strands? _Shigure wondered, _is it... hair?_

He walked back to the three by the front door and grabbed Yuki's dripping umbrella. Upon opening the door, he opened it, flicking water all over the place. With that, he disappeared into the storm, curiosity leading the way.

"Where is he going?" Yuki asked himself. _And he didn't even bring what-_

"Uh, Yuki-kun!"

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><p><strong>There's the first chapter! Second will be up shortly! Please review and tell me what you thought!<strong>

**Thank you!**

**~Aurora~ xD**


	2. Triplets!

**Here's the second chapter! I really hope that this will be to everyone's liking! It took a lot of confidence to delete the original. There were so many reviews and everyone was so nice. It made me really happy. I hope it'll be the same this time!**

**Please enjoy!**

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><p><span><strong>Maybe three isn't a Crowd<strong>

**Chapter 2**

**Triplets?!**

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><p>"This is quite the predicament, isn't it?" Shigure chuckled nervously, staring at the two boys leaned against the kotatsu (Kyo had been taken upstairs while Yuki was away). The one recently rescued from the harsh weather was asleep. He had said his name was Ichiru, but never once opened his eyes. All that was known of his looks was that reddish-orange hair and his lightly tanned skin.<p>

The other one, Takashi, claimed that Ichiru was his younger brother. And that they were sent by Akito to go and live with Shigure for reasons they were not told.

"It seems so," Yuki answered his older cousin, watching Takashi tug at the yukata he had put on. It fit almost perfectly, while Ichiru's hung a little over his shoulder. Tohru sat quietly, smiling warmly at the two boys.

Yuki turned to Shigure, his gaze dripping with accusation. "When were you planning on telling any of us?" Shigure laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"I would have if I had known... well, for now, I suppose the two of you could sleep in Yuki's room. If that's alright by him, of course."

Yuki gave the okay, Takashi thanked him, and without further delay they all headed to bed.

O.O.O.O

When a sweet smell made its way up to his room and over to his nose, Kyo decided it was time to get up and investigate. He sat up, stretching and groaning. Luckily, he had a very good immune system, which allowed him to escape sickness. He hopped out of bed, letting his sheets lay limp across his floor, and opened the door (Gotta love rhymes!).

Upon exiting his room and entering the hallway, he saw Yuki looking through his open door. "It's alright," he said, "I don't mind having you stay in my room for a while."

Kyo snorted, thinking the rat had finally gone crazy. He didn't care. It'd make it easier to kick his ass. With that thought, he walked down the stairs, leaving Yuki to his "imaginary" friend.

The sun shown bright through the window. Tohru had already pulled the navy curtains back to let in the light. Kyo wondered if there were any flooded streets. He'd be surprised if there wasn't.

"Good morning, Kyo-kun," Shigure greeted when the cat sat down at the kotatsu. A sly smirk spread across his handsome face. Kyo stared suspiciously at him, ruby eyes squinting. If there was one thing he hated receiving in the morning, it was that knowing and sneaky expression. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he answered, trying to end things there before he tried to start a conversation, but Shigure pressed forward.

"You know, we found two people yesterday." Kyo eyed the dog suspiciously. "I think you'll find them quiet enjoyable."

Before the cat could order the dog to tell him what he was talking about, he heard Tohru laugh from the kitchen. Shortly after her, he heard another voice. It was masculine, with a light, ever-so-slightly feminine ring to it. What tripped him out was that he knew the voice. Or at least he thought he did.

_... Ichiru...?_

O.O.O.O

After sharing a short laugh, Tohru stared into Ichiru's golden eyes. They almost matched Ayame's, but they were a bit lighter, and as big and beautiful as Yuki's. You'd think he was their brother, if not for his slightly sun-kissed skin and reddish hair. Not to mention he had almost the _exact_ same facial structure as Kyo. How odd.

"I'm gonna go and tell Shigure-san that breakfast is almost ready," he said with a smile, bowing his head slightly and hurrying out the kitchen through the doorway. Right when he was about to call to Shigure, he heard someone suck in their breath. His eyes shot over to Kyo. Immediately his mouth dropped wide and Kyo's eyes seemed to blink rapidly for a few moments. At the same time, they called to one another:

"Ichiru?!"

"Kyooo!"

Ichiru all but launched himself at Kyo, sending them both sprawling across the ground. He squeezed until Kyo could feel his lungs heaving for air. Regardless of the pain that always followed, he found himself missing these bear hugs. It gave him an odd feeling that he couldn't seem to shake or understand. This wasn't new, but damn was it annoying.

Feeling slightly guilty for the attack, Ichiru jumped up and helped Kyo to his feet. Immediately after Kyo grabbed him by his shoulders. "How'd you get here?"

Ichiru didn't seem to have a problem with Kyo's roughness as he answered, "Well Kazuma told us that it was Akito's orders to have us live with Shigure from now on, so we left when the rain wasn't so bad, but we didn't know our way and got lost-

"You were outside in that storm all day?!" Kyo screeched, checking the red-head over. "Are you alright? You could have _died_, Ichiru!"

"Don't you think you're being a bit melodramatic?" Shigure asked to deaf ears.

Ichiru giggled at Kyo's worriedness, angering him further.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing at all, brother." Tohru's mind got to spinning and she allowed her eyes to widen in wonder. "Did you say brother?"

Ichiru nodded. "Yep! He, Takashi, and I are triplets!"

Tohru gasped and hurried over. She grabbed Kyo's hand, who lit up like a Christmas tree at the attention. "You never said you had siblings!"

Kyo looked to the side and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, well, it never came up…"

"Quit flirting."

Kyo spun around toward the hallway and saw Takashi leaning against the doorway. It surprised him to see such an older version of his older and younger brothers. It had only been about a year since he'd seen them and both of their bodies had matured a bit more. Ichiru had finally lost the rest of his baby fat and was now leaner than he was. Perfectly built for being on a track team. Takashi was definitely taller and more muscular. This made Kyo wonder if he was still skateboarding or not. He probably was.

"I… I w-… I wasn't FLIRTING!" Kyo hissed. Takashi shrugged as Yuki walked from behind him and sat at the kotatsu. He seemed pretty tired. Probably because it was kind of an early time for him. His eye were set on the table top as he slowly, but surely, slipped back to sleep.

"Don't take it personally," Takashi said directly to Tohru, ignoring Kyo, whose blush was dominant on his face. "Wouldn't expect for him to bring us up. He doesn't like talking about himself."

"That involves his brothers!" Ichiru chimed in merrily, still clinging to Kyo like a love-sick puppy.

"Anyway, seems we'll be living here from now on. Akito's orders."

Kyo gave a loud, over-exaggerated groan. Things were gonna get a lot more hectic. Shigure better be ready to have a furniture store on speed dial.

O.O.O.O

Now around lunch time, Tohru was busying herself in the kitchen with cleaning and cooking and such. Yuki was officeing last year's material for when school started back up in a couple days and allowed Takashi to watch. Ichiru was fawning over Shigure in the front room, Kyo fuming beside him.

"Wow, you're a novelist! Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. If you've got anything you want me to read, I'll definitely be glad to help!" Ichiru beamed. Shigure took that opportunity to hug the unsuspecting kitty.

"Well aren't you just the most adorable little thing," Shigure cried happily, "I can just tell you're my favorite triplet!"

"H-Hey," Kyo shouted, "get your filthy hands of him!" He kicked Shigure in the head, causing the poor dog to fly back and pull Ichiru with him. From the momentum, he tumbled over the Inu, gasping as he landed swiftly on his back. He lifted into a sitting position, a wild smile on his face.

He laughed, "Let's do that again!"

"Lively, are we?" Shigure asked, before mumbling to himself, "Looks like things will be getting pretty interesting around here."

Kyo stared at him for a moment, and then looked back over at Ichiru. Seeing the blinding smile on the face of his brother, he couldn't help but let the corners of his lips turn up ever-so-slightly. He couldn't help but agree with the mutt. Soon they would find "interesting" wouldn't even begin to cover it.

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><p><strong>This chapter was shorter than the first, but I still really like this one. Read, Enjoy, and Review! Byez!<strong>

**~Aurora~ :D**


	3. Girls, Girls, Girls

**Hello all! This has been a bit over-due, has it not?**

**Thank you for the favorite and the followers! It'd be nice to receive a review as well ^.^**

**My good friend Steph-chan (SoraHanari8495) has recently come back to FF and PM'd me, so hopefully we can make this a collaboration again. That would be really great!**

**I'm very sorry if there are a couple mistakes. I just wanted to get this out to you guys!**

**Please Read, Enjoy, and Review! And Favorite and Follow, if that is what you wish! x3**

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><p><span><strong>And then there were three<strong>

**Chapter 3**

**Girls, Girls, Girls**

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><p>Takashi shrugged at the boy in front of him. He felt pretty neutral about switching schools. If anything, he was happy about getting away from Shinto Academy, since he was surrounded by guys 247, although he'd miss being with his friends. Ichiru, on the other hand, was being taken out of his comfort zone. It wasn't that he hated change-he took it fairly well. It was just the fact that there would be girls were they were going. He was never good with girls.

"What If I bump into one and transform? Then what? An innocent girl has to face scary Hatori and cry and, Takashi, I CAN'T MAKE A GIRL CRY!" he freaked. The only girls he had ever talked to were family (besides Tohru who he found put him very at ease) and even then it was a small amount of women he was willing to talk to!

"Ichiru, chill out. Just act like Kyo and you'll be completely avoided-no sweat," Takashi soothed, patting younger boy on the back with a blank expression.

"Hey, I heard that, yah wise ass!"

Ichiru and Takashi averted their attention to the three teens coming from the kitchen (Tohru), down the stairs (Yuki), and from the front room (Kyo). They were all ready to go, Yuki being the only one who seemed to be half asleep. He had a fraction of a smile plastered on his face none-the-less.

Shigure had already been swept away by Hatori about 30 minutes ago. They headed to Kaibara first for Momiji's and Hatsuharu's-more Sohma cousins-orientation.

"Oh, but actually, Kyo got so much attention on his first day!" Tohru boasted. Takashi crossed his arms and Ichiru asked skeptically, "He did? And nothing crazy happened?"

There was a moment of silence. Tohru, awkwardly, said, "Um, well, he jumped out of a window afterwards, but he wasn't hurt so…"

"It was second story," Yuki deadpanned.

"They were attacking me!" Kyo defended weakly.

"Overall, a very normal first day for him," Takashi said matter-of-factly, Ichiru nodding in agreement. "I would have been surprised if he **didn't** jump out the window. Or beat up the principal. Or set fire to the entire school." Takashi nudged Tohru with an elbow and pointed at Kyo. "He's known for being a drama queen back at the dojo."

Kyo hollered incredulously, steam practically screeching out of his ears, "I AM NOT!"

"Are, too," Takashi retorted plainly, grabbing his skateboard. "Now let's get going."

O.O.O.O

They all got the school halfway through the first year orientation. That gave them around 45 minutes to an hour of socializing before reporting to homeroom. Yuki was a part of the Welcoming Committee that President Takai set up for all new students, so he immediately made his way to the Student Council room. Tohru ran into one of her best friends, Arisa Uotani, and made her way to their new homeroom: 2-D.

The triplets headed in the opposite direction, Ichiru standing between Kyo and Takashi as they walked. Meanwhile, second, third, and a couple first years that were skipping orientation stared on, practically drooling at the trio.

One brave soul walked up to Takashi, cheeks rosy with nervousness. Her friends stared on in disbelief.

"H-Hello, I'm Mia Sakira. Nice to meet you," she said, bowing and then standing back up straight. Takashi stared at her, wondering what exactly to do. Back at the old school, he wasn't all that welcoming to people talking to him. Then again this was a girl, not to mention a girl that obviously had a little crush on him. Maybe he'd play nice for his time at Kaibara… to the girls, at least.

"Takashi Sohma," he greeted, giving a faint smile. The girl turned scarlet. Her friends swooned. The triplets continued to walk and Takashi waved curtly. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet… you… too," Mia muttered, her brain overloaded with hotness as her squealing friends clapped her on the shoulder and stared after the godly boys.

After rerouting, the three made it to their new homeroom. Upon arrival Tohru waved them all over.

"Ichiru-san, Takashi-san, I'd like you to meet my friends Uo-chan and Hana-chan!" she announced, swiping her hand out in a grand gesture towards the two girls beside the desk she was sitting at. Uo had medium-length, blonde hair and seemed a little rough around the edges. Hana had long, jet black hair tied in a braid that went down to her shoulder-blades. She seemed… odd in a way. It kind of freaked Ichiru out how lifeless her eyes looked. Like two pits of darkness clawing into the depths of his soul…

Ichiru shivered.

"Hey now, Orange-top's brothers are cute," Uo said with a smirk. Kyo growled.

"Don't call me that!" he snapped at her, looking like he'd already lost all his patients. Uo, for the time being, decided to ignore him. She walked over to Takashi, sizing him up. He allowed her to walk around him without complaint.

"So you two live with Tohru now." Ichiru squeaked at the question, wondering how Hana got behind him so quickly. He hadn't even seen her move! It seemed as if he had lost his voice, so he gave a small nod.

Uo stared into Takashi's eyes, him staring right back unfazed. She smirked again. "This guy's not half bad."

Takashi chuckled. "The same goes for you."

"Aw, quit, you're makin' me blush," Uo said sarcastically. Kyo scoffed. "That's repulsive."

"What was that, Orange-top?"

"You heard me, Yankee!"

The bickering began and ended rather quickly, seeing as Yuki walked in with a group of girls flanking his sides. He looked uneasy, as if one would snatch him up and stuff him in a bag.

Or, you know, jump out and hug him and turn him into a rat. Something logical like that.

"Seriously, we totally missed you all summer, Prince Yuki!"

"I thought about you every night before I fell asleep!"

"I thought about you all day, every day!"

"You didn't get a girlfriend yet, right?"

"Only because he's waiting for me!"

"In your dreams!"

Takashi and Ichiru stared-one in amusement, the other in disbelief. Did Yuki really have to go through this at school? It seemed like torture.

Suddenly, one by one, the girls got a look at the fresh Sohma meat. All ten girls rushed to the two. Ichiru attempted to step back, almost bumping into the creepy Hana and deciding the best course of action was to stand completely still. Takashi got ready to knock some girls back with his handy-dandy skateboard, but before he had to resort to that, they stopped a couple feet away and surrounded.

"You look just like Kyo! Are you guys' brothers?"

"That makes you cousins with Prince Yuki, doesn't it?"

"Are you guys new?"

"Gosh, this one is _so adorable!_"

"You're scaring him, you idiot!"

"How does Prince Yuki sleep?"

"I think I love you, skateboard boy!"

Takashi couldn't help but stare at the crazed fans as Uo forced them out the room, Hana scaring them down the hallway for good measure. Ichiru physically deflated, utterly flabbergasted (heheh…) and Kyo was bristling. Takashi sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Maybe he'd rethink that whole "be nice to girls" plan of his.

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><p><strong>I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please review and tell me your thoughts, because yes, my lovelies, I care!<strong>

**Thanks for Adding this Story to your Favorites:**

**_InvisableTarget_**

**Thanks for Following this Story:**

_**MarieHer15**_

_**and**_

_**Spamano Love Child**_

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><p><span><strong>Disclaimer: <em>I do not own Fruits Basket or ANY of its characters or even a tiny bit of its plot.<em>**

**Claimer: _I DO own Ichiru though._**

**Extra Disclaimer: _I also don't own Takashi. SoraHanari8495 owns all rights to him ;p_**


	4. Head Start

**So this has been long overdue! There's nothing more to say but that I'm incredibly sorry! Please enjoy this chapter!**

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><p><strong><span>And then there were three<span>**

**Chapter 4**

**Head Start**

* * *

><p>Two weeks passed since the first day of school. Every day held at least one confession for all the Sohmas and a lot of feuding between the PYFC (Prince Yuki Fan Club) and the new TSFG (Triplet Sohma Fan Group) that was created merely a couple days into the school year. The TSFG claimed their love was stronger than the PYFC, who quickly became outraged and accused the TSFG of just seeking attention. War had been declared between crazy, stalker fan girls and it wasn't even halfway through first quarter.<p>

Now it was Saturday. Yuki and Takashi studied almost feverishly at the kotatsu, Ichiru was talking novels with Shigure in his office, and Kyo was taking a nap in the room that he now had to share, much to his dismay. There was an extra room, but it had yet to be cleaned out. They were even talking about getting an addition to the house, so that Takashi and Ichiru could have their own rooms, since the two seemed to be staying for the rest of their highschool years.

"Shigure-san, could you please get the phone," Tohru called from the kitchen. "I hate to trouble you, but my hands are wet from dish water!"

"No problem, my dear," Shigure called back. He walked out the room, leaving Ichiru to let curiosity get the best of him in the large room. He took a couple steps down the hall, toward the front room, and picked up the old-time wall phone still ringing patiently on its hook.

"Hellooo?" he sang goofily, wondering briefly if the caller was Mii. His smile widened when he heard an all too familiar voice say, "Don't answer the phone like a child."

"Ah, Hatori! Long time no see, huh old friend? I've been meaning to ask you about the children I seemed to have taken in without prior knowledge," he said, accusation hidden deep in his friendly tone. Hatori sensed it right away.

"That will have to be saved for another time. Two important girls need a place to stay. I'm sure you know who I'm speaking off."

Shigure pondered the doctors words. There were plenty of important people that he knew of, but the tone that was used allowed him to determine that these two were at the top of the list. It took only a moment longer for his eyes widened in mild shock.

"You couldn't mean… The two children from that family?"

"Yes."

Shigure's eyes brightened, a mischievous glint in them. "I've always wondered how they'd grown. Nicely, I bet." he quirked his eyebrows, "but what brought this up? I thought they were already placed in a suitable household."

"That's none of your concern. What is, however, is that I need to place them under your care."

"Well, I suppose I could squeeze them in, if it's urgent. Tohru probably wouldn't mind sharing her room."

"Good. One more thing. You will address them with last names Shizuki and Mikari."

"Shizuki and Mikari?" A tiny smirk worked its way on to Shigure's face. He said, "Hatori, my friend, you have a very kind heart. That'll give you even more trouble in the future."

A small pause, before the monotonous voice declared, "I don't want to hear that from you. They'll be over the day after tomorrow. Good day."

"Good day to you as well, Ha'ri!"

One click sounded, before a blaring series of beeps sounded from the speaker. Shigure hung up the phone with a chuckle.

O.O.O.O

In the morning, Shigure opened his bedroom door with a smile on his face, ready for his morning tea and weekly paper. It had become something of a routine since having Tohru around and he couldn't say he wasn't grateful for it.

"Oh housewife!" he sang, ready to start his day by seeing the lovely face of his adorable little flower-

He came face to face with Takashi as he rounded the corner to enter the kitchen. The younger boy was drying his hair and held a newspaper in his hand. Shigure backed away, squealing from the manliness he had just come in contact with. Already his morning seemed to be going downhill. That is, until he looked into the teens hand.

"My, my, what do we have here? Is that my paper?" Shigure asked, straightening himself after his indignant shriek. Takashi nodded, still somewhat confused by the girly sound that had errupted unexpectedly through the older man, and handed it to him.

"Tohru was busy with breakfast, so I got it for you."

"How kind of you!" Shigure said graciously. "That's how youngsters should be. Now-a-days they're so rude to their elders-"

"Shut up, dog," Kyo snapped gruffly, obviously not very well rested. He leaned casually against the counter next to the sink, a carton of milk held in one hand. His hair was messy from sleep, orange bangs almost covering his alert garnet eyes.

"Ah, Kyo! Always happy to prove my point," teased Shigure. Luckily for him-and the rest of the household-Kyo just rolled his eyes and continued with his morning treat.

Ichiru strode over to Shigure and Takashi, holding out a small, wooden cup. The smile on his face could melt a frozen heart and Shigure couldn't help but capture him in an affectionate hug.

"Isn't he just the cutest thing?" he asked, his grin curling deviously into his cheeks. Kyo flared up instantly, lifting a fist menacingly into the air.

"Hey, get off'a him!" Realizing he had been ignored, he shoved his fists to his side, almost like a kid throwing a tantrum. "I mean it dammit!"

Tohru had just begun to set the table behind them, a slightly worried look gracing her features, when she heard a light thumping on the stairs. Teal-blue eyes flitting up to the top, she smiled wide when she caught sight of the staggering teen slowly making his way down, lilac hair mused from tossing and turning.

"Good morning, Yuki," she called, averting everyone's attention to the tired zodiac rat. Either he was deaf or was still too far gone to comprehend, because he didn't even acknowledge dear Tohru, who took it like a champ and continued with the breakfast preparations.

"Is he always this out of it?" Takashi asked, waving a hand in front of the prince's face. The feminine boy had slumped down on the sofa to the side of the TV, amythest eyes glazed over while he stared at nothing.

"I'm afraid so," Shigure answered, settling himself at the far end of the kotatsu. "Yuki's not much of a morning person."

"Tch, you got that right," Kyo huffed, all but stomping over to the kotatsu. His fingers had already clenched themselves in the black sleeve of Ichiru's school uniform, forcing him down next to him. The redhead didn't have any complaints about the aggressive behavior, seeing as he'd grown up with it.

After Takashi led Yuki to the kotatsu and seated himself down beside him, Tohru came in with the last of the breakfast preparations. Everyone began to eat. Even Yuki, who was still pretty out of it, attempted to shovel some rice into his mouth. However the chopsticks prodded at his cheek instead of gliding past his parted lips. Bits of the tiny grain camouflaged themselves in his winter complexion. Kyo had begun laughing, attempting to make a snide comment about the clumsy rat, but stopping short when a pickled plum hit him square in the face. Sputtering, he looked over at a seemingly innocent rat. Ichiru began to laugh in Kyo's place, while Takashi just shook his head and continued to munch on his grilled fish. Tohru smiled lightly, looking between the rowdy group of boys.

All the while, Shigue had a pleasant smirk on his face, eating as if nothing was happening around him. Most wouldn't want any harm to come to the children living under their roof-and it's not like he didn't. But he couldn't help but feel a bit giddy about the years to come. He was playing a game that had only just begun. And though for now it was uncertain who would win in the end, Shigure knew he had the head start.

He sipped his tea.

* * *

><p><strong>I'll update and put my thanks in later! Gotta clean up sticks and stuff!<strong>


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